a/n: So, I went back and changed Mr. Lester's position from a CEO to a Chairman since a chairman is the position I meant to give him, I just don't know business terminology rip

June 5th

Phil drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, glancing around the familiar room. His father's office was neatly organized and very professional. The wall was lined with his various business degrees and a few awards he had won as the chairman. There were several photographs on the wall as well, mostly shots of him shaking hands with equally rich and powerful businessmen. There was only one family photo: a picture of Mr. Lester standing next to his wife and young son.

Phil got up from his seat, stepping to get a closer look at the photo. He remembered the day clearly: his mother had hired some fancy photographer to come over to take family portraits. Phil had never been much of one for pictures, but he was forced into an uncomfortably hot suit and made to stand still for an hour.

He chuckled at the memory, staring down at the small, pale face peering out at him. The child's hair was a gingery-brown, much lighter than Phil's current color. On the boy's lips was a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Phil had always thought it was rather ironic: growing up, he could get anything he wanted, yet he was never happy. No matter how many new toys or electronics he got, no matter how many exotic holidays his family went on, he felt like he was missing something. It wasn't until he became older that he realized this discontent stemmed from his loneliness. Although Phil had always been popular, it was because of his money and status rather than his personality. Better at talking to adults than kids his own age, Phil had struggled to make any close friends in school. He learned at a young age that it was possible to be alone while surrounded by people.

The doorknob turned, and the man spun back around.

"Phil, excuse my tardiness," Mr. Lester gave his son a curt smile, "the meeting ran longer than expected."

"It's fine."

"Please, take a seat." Phil obliged, his father sitting down on the opposite side of the desk. "So, have you come to a decision?"

Phil struggled to fight back a smile. His father had always been one to get straight to the point. "I have." Phil paused, taking a deep breath. "I've decided to take you up on your offer. I'll work for you."

Mr. Lester smiled, a spark of satisfaction in his eyes. "Very good, I knew you'd come to your senses."

"Where will I be working?"

Mr. Lester opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a file. "The man who managed the London branch just recently resigned. I've been handling it since, but I trust you could take care of it with ease?"

Phil choked, his eyes widening. "Y-you want me to become a branch manager? Just like that?"

Mr. Lester raised his eyebrows. "Do you feel ill-equipped for the position?"

"No, it's not that, it's just… It's not really fair, is it? Promoting me to such a high position just because I'm your son?"

"You misunderstand: this has nothing to do with you being my son." Mr. Lester slid the paperwork to Phil, his gaze serious. "True, it does help that you have connections, but that's not why I'm promoting you so quickly. I want you to take this position because you are the best applicant for it. You're hardworking: you managed to take business school during day and art classes at night, graduating from both colleges with exceptional scores. You have the qualifications for the position and enough experience. Whether you realized it or not, you've been working an apprenticeship in business since you were a teenager. You understand the statistics behind it, you know how things are run. You've watched as I raised this company from the dirt and made it an empire. You know how the game is played better than most of the people here. So, no, I'm not giving you such a high position off the bat because you're my own. That would be rather partial of me. I'm giving you this position because I've seen first hand that you're a damn good businessman, whether you like it or not." Phil tried to hide his shock. His father was never very complimentary, so any type of praise was rare for him. Perhaps Phil's compliance put him in a good mood. "That being said, if you prove to be an inadequate man for the job, I will fire you as quickly as I would any other worker. During business hours you are my employee first and my son second. Understood?"

Phil nodded, still trying to take everything in. "Yes, sir."

"Very good." Mr. Lester smiled stiffly, as he always did. "Now, for the paperwork."

June 6th

Dan let out a grunt as he dropped the last of the boxes into the back of the moving truck. He took a moment to breathe, using the collar of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face. "You're sure this is it?"

"Yeah, that was the last one,' Phil called out through the doorway.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Dan closed the back of the van.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help with the lifting." Phil leaned against the doorframe with a frown.

"Don't apologize, you've been so much of a help." Dan smiled, walking over to meet his boyfriend. "I wouldn't want you to hurt your arm any more than you already did. Do you know how you strained it?"

"Oh, uh," Phil paused, trying to think of something on the spot. "I helped my Dad move his file cabinet yesterday, it probably happened then."

Dan placed a hand on Phil's shoulder, rubbing it gently. "I hope it gets better soon."

"Yeah, thanks..." Phil was quick to change the topic. "So, what did you want to do for dinner?"

"Oh. I was just going to order a pizza I guess. I kinda want to eat here since, you know, it's my last evening."

The two fell silent, neither knowing what to say. Finally, Phil cleared his throat. "I can take care of the pizza. I need to go in that direction anyway, I still have to turn in my resignation form at the bar."

"Do you mind? I can pay you—"

"No need." Phil smiled. "I'll eat pretty much whatever, so just text me the order and I'll get it."

Dan smiled, but his eyes held the same dull glint of exhaustion. He pulled Phil into a hug, leaning into his chest. "I like you a lot…"

Phil chuckled softly, rubbing gentle circles on Dan's back. "I like you a lot, too."

The two stood in the middle of the empty room, holding each other close in the heavy atmosphere. It was quiet, the muffled street noise being the only audible sound. Phil sighed, going to pull away from the hug.

"Phil." Dan's grip on his boyfriend tightened, his fingers digging into his back.

Phil raised his eyebrows. "Dan?"

"Not… not yet… please."

Phil, though still surprised, smiled, hugging Dan tightly. "Of course, love."

…

The two men sat across from each other on the worn, red carpet, quietly eating their pizza. Conversation was sparse. Dan smiled sadly once or twice, recalling to Phil a fond memory from the little shop, but other than that he was somber.

Even after they finished the pizza, the two remained seated, neither talking. Phil found he didn't really mind. He could tell Dan was deep in thought and he didn't want to interrupt him. He only hoped that his presence might offer a small comfort.

Several moments later, Dan finally spoke. "It's nearly eight… I guess we should be going."

Despite this, he didn't get up.

Phil scooted closer, running a hand up and down his boyfriends back.

"Do you want a ride to Tod's house? You said he's nearby, didn't you?"

Dan shook his head, his gaze locked on the floor. "He already agreed to come pick me up but thank you."

Phil frowned. "Do you want me to wait with you?"

Dan bit his lip, trying to fight back tears. "If it's alright, I kinda want to be alone for a little bit."

"Of course, love."

The two stood up and Dan turned towards Phil, pulling him into a tight hug. Phil held him close, gently stroking his hair. "Call me if you need anything, okay? Whatever it is, I want to help."

Dan nodded, trying to push down the guilt in his stomach. He raised his gaze, meeting Phil's eyes. "I might be hard to reach the next few days while I get settled. I promise I'm not ignoring you."

Phil smiled, cupping Dan's face. "I understand."

The writer leaned forward, connecting their lips in a chaste kiss. "I'll see you in a couple days."

Phil nodded, "Whenever you're ready. I know this is all really hard for you, but I'm here if you need me. "

Dan nodded, hurriedly wiping his eyes. His feet stayed rooted in place as he watched Phil walk out to his car and get in, waving to Dan with a sad smile before driving off.

He was alone. Alone in the building that had been his favorite place in the world for over two decades.

Dan began to sob.

He hadn't expected to cry anymore, at least, not this hard. He had been crying so much these past few days he was surprised to feel tears running down his cheeks.

This was the last place he had that offered memories of his childhood. The good parts, at least. And now it was gone. Waiting to be bought by someone else who would tear up the old carpets and refurbish the rooms and paint over the walls. Any trace of Dan or his grandfather would be buried and eventually forgotten. Dan could feel his nails digging into his palm. His grandfather didn't deserve this. Although he would never push Dan into a career he didn't want, Dan could tell his grandfather hoped for the store to become a family business, passed down through the generations. He was ashamed that he couldn't handle it long enough to even consider having children.

…

Dan locked up the shop for the last time, dropping the key through the mail slot like he had been instructed. He quickly wiped the tears from his eyes, not wanting to draw attention from the passers-bys.

Taking one last look at the store, now nothing but a hollow shell of memories, Dan gathered his things, turned, and began to walk. He didn't stop until he reached the bridge by the river. It was a good distance away from the rest of town and provided a reasonable amount of shelter from the elements. He must not be the only one with this logic—there was a scattered pile of belongings near its base.

Dan stopped on the curb, setting down his bags and taking a seat on the suitcase. He knew he couldn't stay there forever. He just needed some time to come up with a plan. He had hoped to find a reasonable motel nearby, but there was no such lodging in the small town.

The man thought back to Phil's offer, his stomach twisting with guilt. He didn't want to burden Phil. What would that look like to others? A rich man letting his broke, homeless, unemployed boyfriend move in before they've even been dating for a month. Dan had only met a few of Phil's business-acquaintances, but it was enough for him to realize how much talk there would be if the dirty details got out. He didn't want Phil to have to deal with that, especially not now that he was an official employee. Even if that weren't an issue, he'd still be living off Phil's funds. And although he could afford the extra expenses, Dan didn't want to burden him.

A street lamp came on, flickering for a second before fully illuminating. Dan felt his stomach twist. He would have to go to sleep soon. The town didn't have a very high crime rate, but Dan was still nervous. What if the other person staying here was some kind of thug or criminal?

The man glanced around, pulling his jacket tighter around him.

He had always felt that it would come to this. The whole "rags-to-riches" trope was bullshit. He had been raised in poverty, he would live in poverty, and would die in poverty. That's just how things worked. How could he have ever been so stupid to think that he could become an author? He couldn't afford to have an art career; that was a luxury for people like Phil who had room for failure. Why did he waste all his savings on law school when he could have just skipped university and gone into manual labor? That would have saved him thousands.

Dan laughed bitterly. He had been setting himself up for failure this whole time and was too ashamed to admit it. If only he had realized this sooner, maybe things would be different. Maybe he'd have a nice house. Maybe he'd have a stable career. But the maybes didn't matter. All that mattered was the reality: Dan was homeless and unemployed with barely enough pocket money to afford a week at a motel

A/N: oops :)